When In Verona
by HelenaGNS
Summary: Hermione was ready to give her life away to the one man who she thought understood her but in the end, he leaves her at the altar just like that. Harry and Ron, in the hopes of cheering up Hermione remind her of the tickets they bought to Verona, the City of Love. Is this a bad idea, or will another opportunity for love happen to present itself? Draco/Hermione and Hermione/OC
1. A Very (Un)happy Day

**Hi readers! This is my first ever story and this time, I plan on finishing it haha! So first off a little warning, this obviously isn't a Ron/Hermione but a Hermione/OC turned Hermione/Draco so to all Draco-Hermione fans out there, get ready for a real treat! This is a slow paced love story so don't worry about things going too fast (oops that sounded redundunt) but anyway, hope you enjoy!**

**xx Helena**

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It was a beautiful Sunday morning as the first rays of the sun shone upon her sleeping figure. Her face was an epitome of chaos: mascara remains streaked her face, lipstick smudged, and what was a day ago a beautiful messy bun embellished with pearls and diamonds now fit for a bird's nest.

"Wake up, sunshine." Ginny gently nudges her. Hermione groans in reply. "You have to eat breakfast." Hermione opens her right eye and closes it just as quickly.

"It's too bright," Hermione complains. "Put down the blinds."

"Herms, it wouldn't make you feel any better to stop eating. Come on." Receiving no response from her, Ginny sits at the foot of the bed. Upon feeling the added pressure on her bed, Hermione slowly sits up, showing the full extent of chaos in her life as of the moment. She hugs her best friend as sobs plagued her heart once again.

"Shh, let it all out, darling. Let it all out." Ginny soothes her.

Hermione weeps on and on as events of the previous night come back to her like little silver bullets to her heart.

_It was a beautiful day, to say the least. Hermione stayed up at the bridal suite of the Hilton hotel all day along with her maid of honor, Ginny and her mother, Jean (excluding of course all the make-up artists, and the hired wedding planner.) The designated photographer named Angelica had already started taking still-life photos of the shoes, the wedding dress and other miscellaneous objects. The female entourage was due at the church in less than an hour and Hermione, in 30 minutes. This was a cause of panic to the whole group in the spacious room. People were dashing to and fro to retrieve something from somewhere; back and forth people went. Hermione was sitting there, so still, overwhelmed with all the activity. She remained that way to the minute everyone but her maid of honor and her make-up artist left. _

_ "Hermione, are you okay? We really have to fix you right now." Ginny tells her urgently. Hermione looks up at her and nods her head in approval. They quickly proceed to the bedroom where a chair waits to be seated on, facing away from the big mirror behind. The make-up artist rushes just a bit, but with accuracy and precision. In the artist's head, the bride had to be extremely beautiful; nothing should ruin this festive day. _

_ A few minutes pass and already the make-up is done. "Done so fast?" Hermione worries._

_ "You look beautiful, darling. Trust the expert." The artist, Rosella, simply states._

_ Ginny enters the room searching something in her bag but was stopped in her tracks as she stares at the face of her best friend. "Hermione…" she gasps. "You're beautiful!" Hermione, feeling a sense of excitement, turns to have a glance at her face. Hermione too gasps. _

Who is that? _Hermione asks herself. _That couldn't be me. She's too beautiful. _The woman in the reflection had on simple make-up. The lips were a soft pink and the cheeks with a gentle blush. A little beige eye shadow made the brown eyes pop. Hermione tries to touch it, to see if it was really herself she was looking it. Unfortunately, Rosella gently slaps her hand away. "Don't ruin it, darling, I'm begging you." Hermione could do nothing but smile a Cheshire cat smile. Already, her happiness was spilling over their limits. She dashes to the dressing room inside the walk-in closet to put on her wedding dress. _

_ Ginny and Rosella wait outside the closed doors, pacing anxiously. Ginny, worried that they might be late, and Rosella, worried that Hermione will smudge her make-up even before they make it out of the bridal suite. _

_ The door slowly opens to reveal what they would have mistaken as a princess at first glance. There, Hermione Jean Granger stands, in a Vera Wang wedding dress. A simple dress with lace that covers her from clavicle to wrist, with a little skin exposed in a v-neck that ends just above her cleavage. The lace continues to a train about a foot long trailing gracefully behind her. _

_ Ginny and Rosella starts to tear up. "Gorgeous, darling. Gorgeous. I guess Mr. Nathan is a very lucky fella, don't you think?" winks Rosella. Ginny walks over to Hermione and gives her a great big hug, careful though as not to ruin her hair and Hermione's hair. Ginny pulls away and smiles at her best friend. "My best friend, finally getting married. I'm going to miss our single moments together, Hermione. I really will" with that, she hugs her best friend once more._

_ "Don't forget the final piece!" exclaims Rosella, handing the best friend Hermione's veil. Ever so gently, Ginny attaches the comb at the top of Hermione's messy bun and fixes the upper layer of the veil to cover her face. Hermione grabs her bouquet. _

_ "Let's go." _

_ By open carriage, they proceed to the Sacred Heart Church where all their family and friends would be witnessing their eternal bond. The crisp wind blowing from the ocean was enough to cool the anxious Hermione down, but not so much as to ruin her look. The sky starts to take different shades as sunset sets in. The final rays of the sun illuminate leaves from behind, making them majestically glow their vibrant colors. People in the streets would stop and stare at the wife-to be. Hermione smiles and waves at the little girls who tell their mommy "Mommy, look, it's a princess!" _

_ The church grows bigger and bigger as they close the distance between them. Already, the church bells were tolling. Hermione, who was happy one second, suddenly becomes surprised the next. She could see her guests start to file out of the church, family-by-family, and friend-by-friend. Others get into their cars as fast as possible, avoiding whatever might happen. Some people glanced at the approaching carriage and give Hermione those "I'm sorry" look in their eyes. Hermione glances at her best friend who glances back at her, both of them mirroring each other's cluelessness and fear._

_ Ginny jumps down even before the carriage came to a full stop, risking her life considering how high the carriage door is from the ground. She then risks her heels and runs to the closest group of people to them and fortunately it was Harry and Ron with their other Hogwarts friends Neville, Seamus, Dean, Lavander, etc. Hermione patiently waits in the carriage, staring at the group of friends, trying to make out their expressions hoping that it would give a clue to what was happening. _

_ Seconds pass by and then minutes. Each second passed sounded like a bell toll in her ears. It got louder and louder until she could not take it anymore. She steps down the carriage slowly, and has her friends chasing her as she rushes inside the church. She stares at the altar where her fiancée was seated on the altar steps, his face buried in his hands._

_ "Nathan." She whispers. Nathan looks up at Hermione, giving away nothing from his expression._

_ "I can't do it, Hermione. I just can't do it." He says, exasperated._

_ Hermione was speechless. She started to feel the lump in her throat, that dreadful, heavy feeling in a broken heart and the stinging of her eyes as tears start to well up. "But why?" she whispers, so only Nathan could hear._

_ "Because I'm not ready, Hermione. I couldn't take it! People were already asking me about children. Children, Hermione! I'm not freaking ready to give away my life, my career to little rascals! I'm not going to sit down anymore and flash that fake smile to everyone who seems to have planned our lives better than we did together. I am not going to pretend to be on the same page as everyone else is." He stands up quickly, surprising Hermione making her take a step back. He towers over her by several inches that Hermione feels so small standing in front of him. _

_ "I thought we already settled this, Nathan." Hermione says, "We should listen but not internalize it, right?" _

_ "Well, I'm sorry, Hermione, but the thing is it is easier said than done. Don't you realize? It's not only our friends and our coworkers. It's also our families!" _

_ "Please, Nathan. You…"_

_ "No, Hermione. I'm not ready to give up my life just yet." And with that, he walks past her. Before he could get out though, Mr. Granger stops him. "You're going to pay for breaking my daughter's heart and wasting my precious time, you hear me, lad?" Nathan stares at him bewildered then just stalks out. _

_ Everyone is silent. It took a minute before anyone could move. All of them turned to look at Hermione, who was already having breathing difficulties. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" she shouts over and over, clutching the thin cloth on her chest. Everyone runs to her aid, Harry supporting her right side, Ron on the left. Ginny holds on to Hermione's hand and whispers soothing words to her best friend. Mr. Granger directs the boys to the car to bring her back to the bridal suite._

_ All the helpers and the bride enter the bridal suite. Hermione runs into the bedroom, followed by Ginny. The rest were left outside, in the living room, not being able to do anything but wait. _

_ Unfortunately for the abandoned bride, a bottle of champagne sits in a bucket filled with ice atop the dresser. Beside it a single stem Rose and a card that says "Congratulations on your wedding!" Hermione screams the loudest she has ever had in her whole life, causing Ginny and the whole troupe outside to panic. Hermione grabs the bottle and throws it across the room. The smashing of glass alerts the boys who break down the door to see what was going on. The scene was depressing and fear-inducing: Ginny stands at the corner of the room, trying to avoid the objects flying around the room caused by Hermione's uncontrolled magic powered by anger. Hermione was a mess, with her veil falling down in the process of her tirades, the pearls and diamonds that adorned her hair just minutes ago had fallen down one by one due to her excessive moving and her discarded bouquet, with which the petals have shed and left the stem naked. _

_ "Hermione! Stop!" Harry tried to tell her._

_ "Honey, please. This can't go on forever." Tells her father._

_ "Herms, please, calm down." Ron soothes looking at his feet, trying to avoid seeing the broken mess that was Hermione Granger. He looks up and ducks just in time as a paperweight heads straight to where his head used to be. "Blimey, Mione. Let us calm you down!" _

_ "Hermione, please listen to us. Please." Ginny says with a shaky voice. _

_ Hermione falls to her knees and starts to cry, letting out all the anger and sadness in those little drops of salty water. _

It was all she could do now to numb the pain a little: sleep and cry. Ginny had retreated to the kitchen to get Hermione a glass of water. Hermione decides to take her first step off the bed to see her in the bathroom mirror. The first steps on the tile floor made her go rigid because of its coldness. She walked slowly at first and then faster until she was walking in normal speed. She enters the bathroom and gets greeted by colder tile floors. She steps on the mat in front of the sink and almost broke down upon seeing the figure in the mirror. Hermione was a total mess. A city after a great hurricane had just hit. Her eyes were swollen red, her nose a deep shade of pink, the mascara still on her cheeks, the lipstick uneven. She stays that way for a few seconds before turning on the sink faucet.

The hot water ran so swiftly under the faucet. The sound of it mesmerized Hermione. It was something about the smoothness of its sound that Hermione envied so. Water was so strong. They can save and destroy lives at the same time; they make a new path when their path has been blocked. She wants to be like that. She shapes her hands into cup-like structure and gathers water in the resourceful basin she had just made and splashed the water onto her face. Again and again she did until she felt her face begin to relax.

She stares at her reflection, watching as the water droplets start to race down to her chin then gravity takes over and pulls it towards the sink.

"Hermione?" Ginny calls out.

"I'm in here!" she replies.

"Harry and Ron are here!" Ginny says as Hermione pats the towel on her face to dry. Hermione turns the brass knob and there on the other side of the door stood her two six-footer best friends, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. She gives them both a weak smile and immediately, she was enveloped in a rib-crushing hug.

"Hey, hey you guys, appearance-wise, you guys already take my breath away. But honestly, I'm not ready to die." She laughs. The two others step back and glance at each other, smiling.

"You're joking!" Ron comments giddily.

"Oh no, no, Ronald. This is just a temporary burst of energy." She tries to joke.

"Oh, Hermione." Ginny sighs and hugs her best friend.

"You know, I looked at myself back there in the bathroom, and I said to myself: "Hermione, you can get through this. You've been through worse, remember?" And all of a sudden, that made me feel a whole lot better." Hermione smiles her best.

The group of four made their way to Hermione's kitchen where plates of pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon were sitting, enchanted to stay warm.

"My, my, someone definitely cooked up a storm in here." Ron, true to his word, scans the kitchen. Pots and pans, stacked on one side of the sink, bits and pieces of food left here and there on the counter. The only place free of dirt was probably the windows, but even then he was sure that upon closer inspection, tiny pieces of food would reveal themselves from their camouflage.

"I'll take care of that." Ginny states, and with a _swish and flick_ of her wand, the mess was being washed, wiped and kept in the cabinets by some invisible force.

The four seat themselves and watch as plates, glasses and cutlery start to fly towards their table. A pitcher of orange juice flies out of the refrigerator (which Hermione charmed to work without electricity) and pours its contents in slender glasses on the right of each person. All these movements were discretely orchestrated by Ginny Weasley under the table. Harry Potter, curious of Ginny's tongue poking out which means she's hard at work, peeks under the table and sees the numerous movements of his girlfriend's wand in hand. He chuckles to himself and delight his attention to the dancing objects around him.

Hermione glances all around her, with the movements of all objects so orchestrated, dancing as if this had been rehearsed over and over. She didn't smile the way the others did. Harry was chuckling once in every five seconds or so. Ron was so mesmerized by everything, not even realizing that his elbow is already resting on his plate. Ginny was obviously behind everything seeing as her eyebrows were knitted together, bent down, with sweat beads starting to form on her forehead. Hermione was the silent wallflower in the middle of all the excitement.

"Well, I guess that's enough magic for one day, I'm starving." Declares Ron, who was suddenly aware of the grumbling in his tummy and the amazing aroma of bacon wafting through the air. He grabs the plate of bacon before anyone could even focus their attention to the food and start to shove carelessly onto his plate. He then shoves down the bacon down his throat and nearly chokes. After swallowing a handful of bacon, he brings up the topic of Hermione's wedding present, no matter how much it hurt.

"Hermione, we, Harry and I came here for a reason." Ron starts off.

"Yeah, we just figured that it would be such a waste…" continues Harry.

"…if you ignore the tickets we bought you for your wedding present." Ron then completes.

"Tickets for what?" Hermione silently asks, looking up from her plate of a single pancake. She reaches for the small bottle of maple syrup and pours gently as Harry continues.

"Well, I know how you've been so obsessed with the idea of Romeo and Juliet…"

"…the tragedy of it all." Ron sighs.

"…And after much contemplating on what to give you" Harry stresses, glancing at Ron with the _let-me-finish- this_-look. Ron understands immediately and quiets down. "We decided to buy you tickets to go to Verona, so that you will finally have your dream vacation over there."

Ginny drops her cutlery and gives a little squeal. She clears her throat, and picks up her cutlery once again. She glances at Harry who mouths that he isn't done yet.

"The bad news is we only booked two tickets." Ginny frowns and gets back to her plate.

"The good news is I got two more." Ginny lets out a laugh of joy and disbelief. Harry, basking in his glory of switching the somber mood in the dwelling was smiling with all his might. He glances at Ginny who's currently shaking Hermione to get her to feel the promising happiness of it all. He then rests his gaze on Hermione who seems to still be having difficulty with the fact that this was supposed to be a wedding present.

"Are you willing to go, Hermione? I can always postpone it, just name the date." He starts, considering Hermione's feelings before others.

Hermione takes a few minutes before looking up and giving a smug face. "Why waste a perfectly good opportunity, right?" Everyone else nods.

Ginny jumps up from her seat and gives a happy dance. The others quickly join in, and all of a sudden, the day was filled with happiness, laughter and music.

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**Don't forget to leave a review! All comments and suggestions are totally welcome :)**


	2. The Other Side Part I

**Hi there readers! I'm sorry for the wait, I was stuck between two ways that this story would continue but I felt the need to put this chapter together so that you all know how Nathan and Hermione came to be. You never know when the past would come knocking on the doorstep ;) Enjoy chapter 2, The Other Side!**

The downfall of the Dark Lord marked the beginning of a new chapter in Hermione Granger's life. Walking around the Great Hall, seeing all the bodies of her friends and former schoolmates laying on the ground, cold as ice with eyes staring nowhere was too much to handle for a girl who was barely an adult.

Mrs. Weasley's sobs were heard from across the hall where Fred Weasley's body was laid to rest. The rest of the Weasley clan were surrounding the mother, with their own tears unwillingly falling on their freckled faces.

To her right was the bodies of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, still hand in hand even after death.

Lavender Brown's body was nearly unrecognizable, save for the purple headband that she was known for wearing. A healer from St. Mungo's was beside the body, murmuring spells that emitted glows of different colors to put the body back to its original state before bringing in her parents for identification.

Small and innocent Colin Creevey's body lay amongst the rest of the unidentified students of Hogwarts.

A wrinkled hand rested on Hermione's shoulder. "It was bound to happen, Granger. No one could have stopped it." A sad Mcgonagall pointed out.

Distraught, Hermione apparates to the edge of the Weasley burrow where she would write the last message they will get from her.

About a hundred tombstones were erected in memory of the deceased who fought on the good side. Each family was gathered around the one that stood for each of their members. Kingsley Shacklebot walked in front of the hundreds of witches and wizards and initiated the funeral.

"My dear citizens. The last few years have been such a torment for both muggle and Wizarding world. The skies grew darker, and hope was starting to diminish right in front of our eyes. In every war, lives are lost. But everyone must know that they did not die in vain. The moment they put themselves in danger was the moment they had decided to become heroes. And to the fallen ones, may they rest in peace. They have done a great service for our world, which nothing can ever repay."

Mrs. Weasley raises her wand, the tip emitting a soft white light. The Minster follows her gesture, and so with the rest of the audience.

Later that day, the Weasley family apparate back to their burrow and walk to the front door in silence, no one being able to break it. Ron looks up and suddenly stops, seeing a piece of paper stuck on the front door. He pulls it off and recognizes Hermione's writing.

_The past year has been the most traumatizing of my life and last night was even worse. I'm very_

_sorry that you lost a brother and a son. I loved Fred as if he were my brother too. _

_I need to leave for a while, to get over everything, and to unite with my parents._

_Please don't come looking for me. I need my time and space. I'll be back soon, I promise._

_Hermione_

Three years have passed. Hermione has received about a dozen owls from her friends asking about her wellbeing and Hermione always answered one way: "I'm okay." But she was far from the word.

It was a very sunny Sunday when Hermione decided to take a walk at the local park. The park was almost deserted save for a few individuals walking at different paces. Hermione spotted a vacant bench just under a common oak tree and decided to pass the time there. She brought out her favorite book _Hogwarts a History_ and was immediately immersed.

A few pages into the book, she started hearing the shutter of a camera working. She looked at the point of source of the sound and spotted a man of good build, with dirty blonde hair and a smile on his face.

"Excuse me?" Hermione cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry, it's just, the view is so beautiful." Hermione blushed.

"And who do you think you are?"

"Nathan Foster, not so professional photographer." He smiled and held out his hand. Hermione shook it and looked at him skeptically. "What?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to talking with those I'm not acquainted with." Hermione tries to go back to reading, wishing that he would just disappear but he stays rooted to the spot.

"What?" Hermione asks this time. Nathan takes the vacant seat beside her and shows her a picture on his camera.

"See this?" he shows her a side view picture of a woman pushing a baby stroller in what looks like the same park. "I take pictures of people. I don't know if people are insulted though," he chuckles "but I like looking at these and creating stories, you know. Look at the faces, look at her face. She's smiling, but see how her eyebrows are arched the way they are? She looks tired. Maybe it's a happy tired. You see? I like making stories." Hermione was astounded.

"That actually sounds pretty nice. Are you a writer of some sort?"

"A journalist. Write for the local newspaper." He looks at his watch. "My, oh my, is that the time? I better get going. This was a nice chat, um…"

"Hermione. Hermione Granger." Hermione answers.

"Hermione, very lovely name." He smiles. Nathan stands and gives a little bow which makes Hermione chuckle. "So long fair lady, till we meet again." And with that, he leaves.

Hermione was left smiling. It has been so long since she's been able to hold a normal conversation with anyone without thinking about the war and all the baggage that came with the losses and near-deaths. Hermione has never felt so happy and free since then. She closes her favorite book and hurries to get home, intent on rummaging the newspapers piled in her stockroom to search for Nathan Foster, writer in a local newspaper and not so professional photographer.

She throws open her apartment door and heads straight for the storage room, dumping her things on the couch on the way. There on the floor lay more than a meter of newspaper. She grabs the one on top and starts flipping through the pages, scanning thoroughly. At last, on the opinions page, she sees the familiar name with a small picture of him to the right.

"_Opinions on Punishment for Animal Abusers_, my my, this man." Hermione was immersed in the article for the next ten minutes. She continues checking the other newspapers as well, reading all of Nathan's opinion articles. _He reminds me so much of my S.P.E.W. days back in Hogwarts, _she thinks.

The next day, Hermione was distracted by a person walking on the other side of the street that looked very familiar, she did not notice she was on a collision course with another person.

"Umph" she grunts as she falls flat on the ground.

"I'm so sorry, I did not see…oh, Hermione!" Hermione was still in recovery when she realized she had just bump into Nathan.

"Nathan! Wow, what a surprise! I'm sorry, I wasn't looking… I was, yes, hi!"

"Hi." He chuckles.

"I've been reading your articles!"

"Yeah? And how do you find my opinions?"

"Not sure, actually. I might not agree with you on some points." Hermione was amused looking at the faltering smile on his face.

"Well, maybe we could talk about it over coffee?"

"That would be lovely." Hermione smiled.

"How about later, lunch? Um, oh, right here!" Nathan exclaims, pointing to the café they bumped right in front of. "Later, at let's say, six?"

"Great!" Hermione says.

"Great." Nathan repeats.

They both went their separate ways with that. Hermione turned the corner and was greeted by the big sign of the law firm where she worked since she left behind the wizarding world.

"Hey, sugar!" Jenny, her colleague greeted her.

"Hey, Jenny! Anything new?" Hermione asked, tossing her bag on her chair and heading towards Jenny's desk.

"Nothing. So tell me about that blush on your face."

"What? What blush?" Hermione asked innocently, not realizing she was blushing even more.

"Mhmm." Was all Jenny could say in reply. Hermione stalked back to her own desk, stealing a glance at Jenny once in a while, and seeing that smirk on her face Hermione knew too well. Hermione decided to burden herself with as much work as she can to distract herself.

Hermione worked for eight hours every day, and with the usual busy atmosphere, she would never know where the time went. However, today seemed different. The seconds were ticking by so slow it was agonizing. Finally, after what seemed like oblivion, her shift was off. She quickly bid Jenny goodbye, and left to see Nathan at the café.

By the time she arrived at the door of the café, Nathan was already seated at a corner table looking calm, unlike Hermione. The little bell rang as she opened the shop door and smiled at Nathan's direction.

"We meet again, Hermione Granger." He said standing up as Hermione took her seat across his.

"Oh yes, Nathan Foster." She smiled.

"So I seem to recall you saying earlier that you did not agree with my opinions?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I do silly. I was just joking." Hermione laughed. "You remind me so much of myself when I was younger." Hermione continued to entertain him with her S.P.E.W. days, changing some names and details that might give her away as a witch.

Hermione knew this was the big break she's been waiting for. Nathan seemed like the perfect guy, listening to her and actually finding her interesting and even funny! That night, she had decided that it was time to contact her friends again.

_Ginny, Harry, and Ron_

_I'm sorry it's been so long since I last made contact of significant importance. I was waiting for a big break; something that could possibly take my mind away from all the sufferings, and I think I've found it. Him. I've found him. _

_I really want to catch up with you lot if it's not a nuisance. I miss you all very much. _

_Much love,_

_Hermione_

Hermione walked to her pet owl resting on its perch. "Mercury, deliver this to Ginny Weasley." She tied the note to the owl's leg and let him fly off into the night.

It was a little shy from seven in the morning when she heard a tapping noise on her window. She opened an eye and saw Mercury trying to get into the apartment. She brisk walked to the window and excitedly let Mercury in. She untied the note on the leg. It was in Ginny's handwriting.

_It's so great to hear from you again, Hermione love! We've missed you so much, me, Harry, Ron, and the whole order! It's no bother at all. We can have lunch here at the burrow this Saturday. Oh I'm so glad you're finally ready, Hermione. So much has changed since you've been with us last. The world is such a happy place right now. Please do come! We'll be expecting you. _

_All our love,_

_Ginny_

A tear made its way down Hermione soft cheek as she read and reread the letter from Ginny. _The world is such a happy place right now. _It definitely is.

The next few days was dedicated to preparing for the Saturday of her meeting with her friends and family. She took a leave of absence from work for a whole week to give way to catching up with three years' worth of news.

On the day before she was to meet her friends at the burrow, Hermione met up with Nathan at the café as per their agreement a few days earlier.

"I'm going to see my friends back in Devon."

"Oh, that's nice. When was the last time you saw them again, three years, four?"

"Three, actually." Hermione decided to change the subject. "So how's your new article coming along?"

"Oh, nothing exciting, just about how to develop the economy or something of the sorts." Nathan said nonchalantly. Hermione, sensing some awkward tension around them decided to ask if anything was on his mind.

"No, nothing at all. I just…Hermione, it's been bugging me. I know it has only been a week, but I can't stop thinking about you." Hermione stared. She had no idea how to respond. "I was trying to think of a way that maybe I could ask you."

"Ask me what?"

"Ask you out."

"Like on a d-date?" Hermione stuttered.

"Yes, on a date." He said.

"I've never been on a date before." Hermione shyly admitted.

"Well then." Nathan cleared his throat, as his usual practice, and said "Hermione Granger, will you go on a date with me… when you come back?"

"I'd love to." Hermione's heart wouldn't stop stammering in her chest. _I'm going on a date with Nathan Foster. _

Nathan smiled. "So um, how do you get to Devon?" Hermione didn't reply. Partly because she couldn't explain to Nathan what a portkey is and partly because she still wasn't over the fact that he asked her on a proper date.

"Hermione?" Nathan chuckled. "Hermione, Earth to Hermione, Hermione Granger."

"I'm sorry." Hermione faked a laugh to get out of the question.

"You're cute like that." And with that she knew she was out of trouble.

Nathan dropped her off at her apartment before midnight. "Goodnight" he said. "Goodnight." She replied. There was a little silence between them due to not knowing what do; neither a handshake nor a kiss was appropriate for the moment. Hermione, knowing only one way else, gave it a try. She enveloped him in a tight hug, wrapping her arms around his neck. Following suit, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"See you in a few days."

Hermione left the next morning just as dawn broke through. Her portkey, a kettle, brought her to the outskirts of the land where the burrow sat, as a safety precaution that the Weasleys had thought of during the brink of war.

She carried her luggage with her on a dirt path that led right to the kitchen entrance. Hermione entered without knocking, with the intention of surprising everyone. However, Mrs. Weasley, upon hearing the door open unexpectedly, points the wand straight to Hermione's heart.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I was planning on surprising the lot. It's just me, Hermione."

"Oh, Hermione, dear, I'm so sorry! I'm so glad you're back! My, you're early! I wasn't expecting you until lunch. Anyway, make yourself at home. All of them are still in their rooms."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. Do you need any help around here?" she looks around at the messy kitchen with knives chopping up various vegetables, a brush magically scrubbing on some dirty plates and a rug polishing the surface of the table.

"No, don't burden yourself. Go!" Mrs. Weasley happily shoos her out of the kitchen.

Hermione glanced at the clock located in the living room. The Weasley clock was unlike any other clock. Instead of having two hands, the clock had several, each representing a member of the Weasley family. Mrs. Weasley's was casually pointed at home, and the rest were pointed on "bed", save for one. Unfortunately, that 'one' was nowhere to be found. Hermione frowned.

Hermione had an internal fight about whether she should go into Ginny's room or not. One side won, and Hermione found herself walking towards the bedroom after the first flight of stairs. She carefully opened the door only to find Ginny fast asleep. Seeing as no one else was in there, she decided to lay down beside her bestfriend.

"What the…" Ginny said half-asleep.

"It's only me. Sorry to wake you."

"Hermione! Oh my goodness!" Ginny rolled over to squash Hermione.

"Shh, don't wake the others. Just wanted to see my best friend first." Hermione whispered. "I'm so sorry I left."

"Don't be sorry, Mione. You had your reasons."

"How are you all? And your mother?" Hermione inquired.

"Mum's been doing okay. We had to remove Fred from the clock because it was stuck at Mortal Pain. She refused at first but dad was able to persuade her it was for the best. It's been tough during the first year, but…we got through it fine."

"That's good to hear. You know she's already cooking downstairs, right?"

"Oh yeah, wouldn't stop yapping about what she was going to cook for lunch since you were coming over." Hermione laughed in reply. "So what have you been up to, Hermione Granger? Are your parents safe?"

"Oh yes, they are, thank you." Hermione recounted the story of having to walk around the streets of the city in Australia where she had left her parents. "I found them sightseeing. It was funny. They were always work work work."

"So they're back safely?"

"They are." Hermione smiled. "And I have something else."

"Oh do tell!" Ginny's interest peaked, hearing _the_ tone in Hermione's voice. "Handsome, smart arse man, ey?" Hermione blushed.

"His name's Nathan Foster. A journalist at the local newspaper. You know how we met?" Ginny signaled for Hermione to continue. "He was taking pictures of me! Yeah!" Hermione exclaimed, seeing Ginny's disbelieving face. "Yeah, I was at the park reading _Hogwarts: A History,_" Ginny rolled her eyes. "Then he was taking pictures of me! And I asked who he was and he introduced himself" Hermione continued to talk about his hobby, and the few days after that, leading up to being asked to a date.

"Hermione, he sounds wonderful!"

"He definitely is."

"How are you and Harry?"

"Amazing. Mum still doesn't let us sleep in a room together while we're at the burrow. I'm still her baby girl."

"Always." Hermione and Ginny laughed. "Say, do you want to wake up the boys?" Ginny asked mischievously.

"Oh, let's!" Hermione replied, ecstatic.

The two hopped off the bed and proceeded to the attic where the boys were sleeping. Hermione, knowing that Ronald had the least bit of experience with muggles decided to use the amplifying spell and imitate a siren from an ambulance.

Ginny agreed. "That's a great idea!"

"Okay," Hermione said. "On three. One…Two…Three!"

The two opened the door. Hermione placed the tip of her wand below her chin and started making the cacophonic sound. Ron woke up flustered and panicking. His woken up brain could hardly register what was going on. Harry, on the other hand, had enough experience with the sound. He took his glasses from the night stand and looked at the source of the noise.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed. "Ron, it's just Hermione."

"Oh yeah, yeah. So it is. Hermione." Ron mumbled sleepily. He plopped back on the bed and was snoring in seconds. Ginny sighed at the audacity of her brother.

"Hermione, you're actually here." Harry stood up to hug his best friend.

"I'm so glad to see you too, Harry! What's with Ronald?"

"One shot too many fire whiskeys. He's okay in the morning when people could keep him talking and busy. Our auror jobs at the ministry are still a handful. Death Eaters turned "nice" to the public but secretly trying to bring back the Dark Ages. But at night, when it's quiet, Ron heads out to the Leaky Cauldron and I have to drag him back here." Ginny's eyes were downcast, knowing full well the reason for her brother's behavior.

"Let's give him some time to sleep in." Hermione said. The other two agreed so the three proceeded downstairs to the living room. Upon reaching the living room and taking their seats amongst the couches, Harry inquired about Hermione's life while she was away. Hermione recounted the same story about Nathan.

"He was the big break I needed. I'm ready to come back to the real world. But I'm pretty scared of telling him who I really am." Hermione explained her fears.

"Love, maybe it's too early to tell. It's only been a week, mind you." Ginny reminds her.

"Yeah, and if time does come that maybe you will end up together, and really together…he'll understand if you tell him." Harry added.

The topic then progressed to the wizarding world and how it has been developing, the reconstruction of Hogwarts and the new set of rules set by its new headmistress, Professor Minerva McGonagall, and the lives of their schoolmates post-war.

"The world's coming along quite nicely. The different countries have united (which we never thought possible)!" Harry babbled. "I was on the team of wizards assigned to talk to other countries about punishments for a Death Eater caught in their grounds. Everyone was very cooperative." Nothing but happiness radiated from Harry from that moment on.

Without realizing it, the clock struck twelve. Ron had woken up an hour earlier and had apologized to Hermione about his rude attitude upon being awaken. George then shoved Ron off to have his turn. He greeted Hermione and gave her a quick hug during which Hermione whispered "I hope you're doing okay." George did all he could to keep the tears from falling.

The table was rowdy with happiness. Some Hogwarts friends came by for lunch, invited by Mrs. Weasley herself. There was Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Hagrid. Lots of plates were crammed side by side holding overflowing servings of favorites. Pitchers of pumpkin juice flew around pouring into cups, mostly Ron who had to drink the juice to help the food slide down his throat.

Hermione had never laughed so much and as much as she wished that this time would last, it flew faster than she ever imagined. One by one, people left. Mr and Mrs. Weasley decided to retire early. Same with Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Percy, and George.

The group of friends sat around a small fire and exchanged short stories. Harry and Ginny announced that they planned to move in to house they had found at Harry's childhood village. Ron and Hermione congratulated them. Ron then shared his auror adventures with Harry. Ginny asked if he had any love life as of the moment.

"I'm not looking for one. The time will come." He shyly smiled and glanced at Hermione's direction, remembering their short relationship after the Battle.

After a few more laughs while walking down memory lane, the group of friends decided to retire.

**Whew. Unfortunately, this part of the story is only halfway done. So get ready for Chapter 3: The Other Side Part 2! I promise I will make it up to all my Draco-Hermione lovers out there. Stay tuned **** Don't forget to leave a review!**

**xx, Helena**


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